QuinCunx

Weird Black Hole's Incredible Brightness Perplexes Scientists | Space.com :  ""As if black holes weren’t extreme enough, this is a really extreme one that is shining as brightly as it possibly can," study co-author Joel Bregman of the University of Michigan said in a statement. "It’s figured out a way to be more luminous than we thought possible.""

Weird Black Hole's Incredible Brightness Perplexes Scientists | Space.com :  ""As if black holes weren’t extreme enough, this is a really extreme one that is shining as brightly as it possibly can," study co-author Joel Bregman of the University of Michigan said in a statement. "It’s figured out a way to be more luminous than we thought possible.""

November 24 - Today in Cape Cod History | CapeCodToday.Com :  "On this day in 1959, the French Cable Station linking Cape Cod and Europe sent out its last message - "Have a happy Thanksgiving. Station closed.""   '

English: Global climate change 2000-2009 and 1950-1980/ Русский: Изменение средних температур за периоды 2000-2009 и 1950-1980. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) We haven't given up hope on the UN climate negotiations, but these meetings were a particular travesty, and we know that they won't make significant process until we can stand up to the fossil fuel industry and break their stranglehold over our governments and economies. 'The breadth and scope of today's walkout was an unprecedented development in the UN process. Individual groups have marched out of UN climate negotiations in the past (I've lost track of how many times groups like Friends of the Earth or 350.org have marched, protested, or gotten kicked out of meetings). But never before have so many groups, from giant NGOs like the World Wildlife Federation to people's movements from across the Global South, marched out together with a unified voice. Today's action was a small one - walking ou...

United Nations (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) 'Talk to someone who's just lost their livelihood two times in the last five years, lost their cow for reasons related to climate change. There has to be a system in place to help that poor woman.' Harjeet Singh, international coordinator for the advocacy group ActionAid , at ongoing United Nations climate talks in Warsaw where developingnations staging a symbolic walkout yesterday protesting what they consider inadequate financial support from wealthy countries New York Times November 21, 2013 Related articles Warsaw climate talks set to deliver 'virtually nothing' - campaigners Rich and Poor Nations Spar Over Climate Damages NGOs walk out of climate talks against rich countries Poor countries walk out of UN climate talks as compensation row rumbles on Environment Groups Walk Out Of Warsaw COP19 Climate Change Talks EPIC FAIL: UN climate talks fall apart as 132 countries storm out Africa lead...

English: Emblem of the United Nations. Color is #d69d36 from the image at http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/flag.htm (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) 'We've reached a stage where we cannot adapt anymore. This is new. This is like, "The Martians are landing!" What do you do? ' Ronald Jumeau , United Nations representative for the Seychelles , in remarks at the international climate change conference currently underway in Warsaw, Poland , noting the devastating effects not only of extreme storm events,  but also of creeping desertification, salinization and erosion that could result in financial losses and even territorial issues that the modern world has never had to face New York Times November 17, 2013 Related articles The Warsaw, Poland Exhibit at the UN Climate Conference We Are the World (so give us part of your stuff) President Kikwete Meets with British and French Ministers in Warsaw

Spy shoes to drones: How U.S. surveillance changed :  "Spies once used briefcase recorders, shoes and stump bugs to gather information. Now computer programs and drones are surveillance tools." ...ero.

Does the future of space travel lie with NASA or space entrepreneurs? | The Washington Post :  "Old Space (and this is still the dreamers talking) is slow, bureaucratic, government-directed, completely top-down. Old Space is NASA, cautious and halting, supervising every project down to the last thousand-dollar widget. Old Space is Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman. Old Space coasts on the glory of the Apollo era and isn’t entirely sure what to do next. New Space is the opposite of all that. It’s wild. It’s commercial, bootstrapping, imaginative, right up to the point of being (and this is no longer the dreamers talking) delusional."

Poll: Young people now care about online privacy | Hattiesburg American | hattiesburgamerican.com :  "Some 40 percent of 2,089 survey takers, aged 18 and older, said they had made changes to their privacy settings in the last three months, and 53 percent in the last six months. The poll was taken in late September"

FCC chairman: I'm no fan of in-flight calls :  ""We understand that many passengers would prefer that voice calls not be made on airplanes. I feel that way myself," chairman Tom Wheeler said in a Friday statement."

Investors: AT&T and Verizon must say how much customer data goes to NSA | Business | The Guardian :  "The Verizon chief executive, Lowell McAdam, when asked about the company's legal obligations, recently stated: "We are the largest telecommunications provider to the United States government, and you have to do what your customer tells you."" ...ero.

Why the Boeing machinists' fight matters | Al Jazeera America :  "Boeing's stingy demands are part of a trend at companies where historically American capitalism has actually functioned fine for workers. In 2010, employees at an upstate New York factory making Mott's applesauce went on strike after its parent company, the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which posted a $555 million profit the year before, demanded deep wage and benefit cuts on grounds that other companies in region were paying less. In 2011, Verizon phone workers who maintain the vast landline system for the telecom giant went on strike when it asked workers to accept cuts on the grounds that nonunion workers at its wireless subsidiary were more responsible for company profits."

FCC releases crowdsourcing app | Federal Times | federaltimes.com :  "Here’s how it works: Users can download the “FCC Speed Test” app onto their mobile phones. The app will then monitor and measure mobile broadband traffic and internet speed and send anonymous data back to the agency, according to the FCC."

FCC VoIP Ruling Bound to Disappoint Someone | Light Reading : "The rural carriers, led by the NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association , want the FCC to make sure they continue to be reimbursed for carrying VoIP traffic on their networks, as they are today for terminating TDM voice calls. Mixed into this debate is an FCC trial, being conducted with Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG), which would give OTT VoIP providers access to phone numbers, without being registered as a CLEC."

Tom Wheeler, the FCC's new boss, on consumer rights and net neutrality | Marketplace.org :  ""Access, indeed, is one component of the network compact, and it takes all kinds of forms. There's access to a network itself through a broadband network -- if you're out in a remote area, how do you get access to the network? It is making sure that the rights of consumers are not denied, because if theirs are denied, then their access is de facto denied.""

English: Verizon Building in New York City (Photo credit: Wikipedia )  It's conceivable that Shammo's comments were a subtle message to the federal government that Verizon needs some form of regulatory relief or better access to spectrum. Related articles Verizon LTE network in large cities affected by high demand CFO admits Verizon network is straining to sustain its LTE users Verizon Hit By Too Much LTE Demand, Pushing Some Customers Down To 3G Verizon admits it can't handle LTE demand in major cities Verizon to Pay NYC $50 Million Settlement Verizon Seeks AWS Spectrum from Stelera BlackBerry Z30 now available from Verizon Wireless Verizon Admits LTE Users Kicked to EVDO in Congested Cities -

FLIGHTMARE! Inflight cell calling debuts, dealing heavy blow to quality of life • The Register :  ""Gogo Text & Talk is just one more way Gogo is keeping airline passengers connected to their lives on the ground," said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo's chief marketing officer. "While we see this as more of a text messaging product for commercial airlines in the United States, the phone functionality is something that some international air carriers and our business aviation customers are asking for.""

FCC Crowdsources Mobile Broadband Research With Android App - Gautham Nagesh - News - AllThingsD : "The FCC on Friday said that the agenda for next Thursday’s open meeting, the first under new Chairman Tom Wheeler, will feature a presentation on a new Android smartphone app that will be used to crowdsource measurements of mobile broadband speeds." ...ero.

AT&T looks to buy Vodafone in huge global telecommunications merger :  "AT&T is reportedly interested in purchasing the British carrier’s European assets, while selling subsidiaries in emerging markets to America Movil, China Mobile or Orange."